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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26512111">crystal clarity</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyRenata/pseuds/MollyRenata'>MollyRenata</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>blood red steel [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Medical Procedures, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers, Threats of Violence, human sho and robot minazuki, kind of a separate bodies AU?, they're in separate bodies at least, this is pure creative liberty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:13:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,061</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26512111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyRenata/pseuds/MollyRenata</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unpleasant experiment involving his Plume of Dusk, Sho meets his other half, face-to-face.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minazuki Sho &amp; Minazuki Sho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>blood red steel [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>crystal clarity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This idea came to me while I was writing my other fic involving Sho, and. Oops. I guess this is a thing now.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>When he awoke, Sho was in a <em>very</em> familiar room, laying in a <em>very</em> familiar bed.</p><p><em>Yeah,</em> a hospital bed. He recalled a similar experience some years back, where his body felt like it couldn't move and he had panicked so badly that they had to put him back to sleep by force. He tried to move his limbs, and found that he <em>couldn't</em> - they were <em>restrained,</em> strapped down to the bed in a way that ensured he wouldn't struggle, and that was when that familiar panic set in, his mind going into overdrive as he tried unsuccessfully to thrash around-</p><p>Then came the <em>pain.</em> This wasn't like last time - it was a splitting agony that started in his head and radiated down his neck, and he began to <em>scream.</em> He vaguely heard a heart rate monitor that ran wild in response to his current state, and it just reminded him even <em>more</em> of that time he learned he was all alone in the world, and he couldn't feel <em>his</em> presence anymore and now he couldn't <em>breathe</em> and...</p><p>A sudden, forced calm spread through his body, starting in his left hand. A sedative, <em>of course.</em> They wouldn't strap him to a bed and hook him up to a device without having some sort of <em>backup</em> in case this happened. He <em>hated</em> it, hated <em>them</em> for doing what they did to him, cutting his face open and forcing him into this situation that they <em>knew</em> was traumatic for him.</p><p><em>...Wait.</em> Cutting his face open?</p><p>Now that he thought about it, Sho had <em>agreed</em> to this procedure. He didn't know <em>why</em> he had, since it was an obvious ploy by the current head of the Kirijo Group to do something <em>experimental</em> to him. He'd had <em>enough</em> of being experimented on in his life, and now he cursed himself for agreeing to that bitch's suggestion to remove the Plume of Dusk from him, knowing full well it could kill him.</p><p>If they really wanted to kill him <em>that</em> badly, why couldn't they just put a sword in his gut and be over with it? It'd be a lot less <em>painful,</em> that was for sure. At least he could go down with dignity rather than getting some nasty reminders of his past.</p><p>Between the sedative and the restraints, Sho really <em>couldn't</em> move anymore, and he spent an unknowable amount of time cursing both himself and Kirijo, wishing that the procedure <em>had</em> killed him. But <em>no,</em> he was <em>alive,</em> and the pain in his face and head served as a reminder of his own blind stupidity - something which his other half would <em>never</em> have allowed him to go through with, if the bastard were still around, but he <em>wasn't.</em></p><p>Yeah, now Sho really <em>was</em> alone. He hadn't understood what true loneliness entailed, and now that he had been forced into it, he was sort of glad his plan to destroy the world hadn't been successful. That would've led to an even <em>more</em> miserable existence, if it was even <em>possible.</em></p><p>The sound of a door opening cut through his thoughts, and a moment later, someone was at his bedside. He opened his eyes, looking up at said someone - an average-looking girl, dressed in a nurse outfit. This couldn't have been a <em>real</em> hospital, but they sure as hell tried to play the part.</p><p>There had been no one else in the room before. The sedative that made Sho's limbs feel like jelly had been administered automatically - typical Kirijos. They had the tech and money alike to make lives miserable without even utilizing humans.</p><p>"I see you're awake," the nurse lady said, a fake smile plastered across her stupid face. "How are you feeling?"</p><p>"Like <em>shit,</em>" Sho muttered in response, unable to muster anything more forceful. "My head hurts, and I can't move... just <em>let me go</em> already."</p><p>"I'm sorry, but we can't do that." The nurse shook her head, then went about checking his vitals - blood pressure, temperature, oxygen level... they were all meaningless to him, but to her and the rest of that lot, they meant he was <em>alive.</em> Just the way they all <em>wanted</em> him, so he could suffer <em>more</em> under them.</p><p>"...Your blood pressure is rather high," the nurse observed, concern in her tone - it had to be fake, too. "That's rather alarming... though, I guess it can't be helped. These sorts of places bring up traumatic memories, don't they?"</p><p>Yeah, then <em>why</em> did they put him into this situation to begin with? It wasn't fair - <em>none</em> of it was fair. As soon as he was well enough to be up and about, Sho made a vow that he'd tear his way out of here himself, using whatever improvised weapons he could find.</p><p>After all, they wouldn't just <em>let</em> him have his swords back. For all he knew, they'd been destroyed to keep him from escaping.</p><p>"Why the hell are you doing this?" Sho glared up at the nurse, wishing that he could put more bite into his voice - it was the sedative, keeping him nice and <em>docile</em> just the way they wanted. "If you wanted me dead, you should'a just killed me and been done with it..."</p><p>"...Oh, <em>dear.</em>" The nurse scanned him with her eyes, then turned to a device on the wall, pressing a button. "It seems we need to bring <em>that</em> person in, after all."</p><p>Could she be <em>any more vague?</em> For all Sho knew, he was about to have a close encounter of the Kirijo kind, and there was nothing he wanted <em>less</em> in the world right now. He still couldn't move, and now he was wide awake - that sedative must've been the sort that forcibly relaxed his muscles without actually putting him out. In other words, the <em>worst kind possible,</em> and it didn't help the blinding fury that bubbled beneath his skin.</p><p>"Understood." The voice that echoed from the machine on the wall was unfamiliar, <em>masculine</em> - another of Kirijo's lackeys. "We will bring that person in immediately."</p><p>"...I'm gonna kill every last one of you sons of bitches," Sho snarled. "I'm gonna tear you apart limb from limb, and I'm gonna cut you open and rip your guts out with my bare hands... and it's gonna be the <em>best thing ever...</em> once I get rid of every last one of you bastards, I'll <em>finally</em> be able to live in peace..."</p><p>The nurse completely disregarded his speech, and turned to leave the room. He felt downright <em>insulted</em> at this point, and the worst part was that he couldn't do a damn thing about it - all he had was his threats, at least until they took him off the IV and removed those restraints. At this point, he wondered if they'd even <em>do</em> that, or if he'd be left to <em>rot</em> here for the rest of his miserable existence to keep their sorry asses safe.</p><p>Well, there was no point worrying about it now. Sho closed his eyes and attempted to relax a little on his own, though it wasn't easy with how worked up he was; still, after quite a bit of time, he managed to get his body and mind on the same level, and was on the verge of falling asleep before the door to the room opened again.</p><p>Groaning, Sho looked up at the person who had entered - only to see that it wasn't even a <em>person.</em> Those metallic limbs, that silicone-covered body, a perfect mockery of a human form... it was one of those damn <em>scrap heaps</em> that the Kirijo Group had created as part of their experiments. This one looked unfamiliar, though its green and black patterning reminded him of something...</p><p>Then he looked up at its face, and just about passed out from shock. A perfect reflection of his own - piercing blue eyes, fiery red hair, even the impression of an X-shaped scar across its cheeks and forehead. As if he wasn't already humiliated enough, now they had to make one of those damn <em>robots</em> in his image-</p><p>"Hello again." That deep voice, too, was familiar - uncomfortably so. "It's been quite some time since we last spoke."</p><p>Why in the world did that thing sound like <em>him?</em></p><p>"...I'm gonna kill them all," Sho muttered under his breath, struggling against his restraints once again. "After everything they've already put me through, they're-"</p><p>"You appear to be mistaken." The machine spoke again, approaching him slowly; the sound of its inhuman footsteps rang out in his ears, louder than the hospital equipment and the thing's voice combined. "Through this procedure, Kirijo has preserved a vital aspect of you - of <em>us.</em>" It paused in its speech, as if taking a breath - not that it <em>needed</em> to breathe. "I am the 8th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon... Sho <em>Minazuki.</em>"</p><p>Emphasis on the last name. Sho didn't want to believe it, but the truth was that- they'd wanted to remove the Plume of Dusk from him, and the personality cores of the Anti-Shadow weapons were also made with Plumes of Dusk. Had they <em>really</em> taken the Plume out of his body and put it in a completely new unit, just to bring <em>that guy</em> back?</p><p>It seemed that, contrary to the bitch's claims, the Kirijo Group hadn't changed at all. They still toyed with human lives as if they were nothing, and sought means to achieve their twisted goals without any regard for ethics or morality. The blonde <em>toaster</em> was supposed to be the <em>last</em> one, and now...</p><p>"The circumstances were... special," the Minazuki-bot explained, its - <em>his?</em> - tone as calm as it ever was. "Were the situation different, the Plume of Dusk would have remained inside your body. However... you may have forgotten, but you yourself requested this procedure. You claimed that you wanted <em>him</em> back - that you wanted <em>me</em> back, and so they granted your wish."</p><p>...Had he said that? Sho wracked his memory, but came up with nothing; it wasn't surprising, since he'd probably suffered a bit of brain damage from the removal. He didn't have the first clue how Minazuki could resurface like that after being transplanted from his body into an Anti-Shadow unit, but it wasn't his place to question that, anyway - those Plumes were beyond human understanding to begin with.</p><p>It was strange, but Minazuki's presence brought Sho a sense of calm that he hadn't experienced in quite some time. Even if the poor bastard was stuck in a robot body now - it was better than being <em>dead.</em></p><p>"...Also, I believe it is important to explain your situation further," Minazuki continued, unprompted. "You have been unconscious for several days. In that time period, they have put me through extensive testing - my new body had already been constructed before the procedure, so there was no need to prolong the experiment. I am perfectly functional as an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, as my ability to summon a Persona is one trait I retained in the transfer. There is no need for further testing."</p><p>Convenient, if nothing else. They wouldn't have to put him through what they did to all the <em>other</em> robots- a thought passed through Sho's mind, and he gave a weak, rasping laugh.</p><p>Maybe they ought to pay a visit to Labrys, after all was said and done. She'd probably be pissed that they made <em>another</em> one of her, after her little sister promised to be the last one.</p><p>"...Thanks," Sho murmured, his voice quiet. "Can't believe I'm admitting this, but... I missed ya."</p><p>"I will continue to uphold my vow," Minazuki promised, and the faintest hint of a smile drew across his face. "So long as you still live, I <em>will</em> protect you... now, <em>rest.</em>"</p><p>After everything that had happened since Sho woke up, that sounded like a good idea. Now that the initial anger and panic had passed, he felt <em>exhausted,</em> and the pain in his face was still very much there. Maybe he could ask for some painkillers next time; they might not be able to give him that luxury due to the type of surgery they'd performed, but it was worth a shot.</p><p>With the knowledge that his companion had returned - if in a strange and slightly disturbing form - Sho drifted off to sleep, more relaxed than he had ever been. From this point forward, he would no longer be alone, and now... that meant the <em>world</em> to him, and <em>then</em> some.</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't know if I'll do more with this concept, but I figured there was no harm in throwing it out there for the world to see, yeah?</p><p>I'll admit to being generally unfamiliar with P3 - all of what I know about it has either been sourced from my friends or what was detailed in P4A/U. Maybe I got a couple of things wrong. I don't really care, though. This is fanfiction, right?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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